Tufting button



May 27, 1947. w. B. MATHl-:WSON 2,421,280

TUFT ING BUTTON Filed NOV. 7, 1944 lNi/ENTOR Wzlfred Mathewson .Patented May 27, 1947 UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE TUFTI'NG BUTTON Wilfred B. .Mathewsom North VWeymouth, Mass., assignor to United Mattress Machinery Co. Inc., Quincy, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application November 7, 1944, Serial No. 562,292

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to tufting buttons such as are used in tufting mattresses, cushions, upholstery and the like and especially to a tufting button having a loop shank to which the tufting cord Is tied.

When a mattress is in use and is supporting a relatively heavy load, the loaded portion of the mattress will become more or less compressed, thereby placing more or less slack in the tufting cords. When these conditions exist, there is often a tendency for the shank of a tufting button in the loaded area to work back through the ticking or covering of the mattress so that both the head and the shank of the button are on the outside of the ticking or covering.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel tufting button which is so constructed as to prevent this from happening and to maintain the tufting button in its proper position with the shank thereof on the inside of the ticking or covering even when the tufting cord is slackened by means of a load supported by the mattress. This object is accomplished by making the loop shank of the tufting button with a short neck section that extends through the ticking or covering and with two shoulder portions extending outwardly from the outer end of the neck section substantially parallel to the head and adapted by their engagement with the inner face of the ticking or covering to prevent the shank from being pulled back through or working out of the ticking or covering.

In order to give an understanding of my invention, I illustrated in the drawings some embodiments thereof, which will now be described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating a tufting button embodying my invention,

. Fig. 2 is a view partly in section showing a dierent type of tufting button embodying my invention,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View through a mattress which has been tufted with my improved tufting button.

In the drawings I indicates a portion of a mattress which has the usual ticking 2 and lling 3.

I indicatetufting buttons which are located on the opposite sides of the mattress and are connected by a tufting cord i5 as usual in tufted mattresses.

vThe tufting button herein shown and which embodies my present invention has the usual head and a loop shank to which the tufting cord 5 is tied by means of a suitable knot 8.

As stated above the loop shank of my improved tufting button is formed to present two shoulder portions extending outwardly from the face of the ticking or covering 2 and thus prevent the button from working back through the ticking or covering.

In Fig. 2 I yhave illustrated a, tufting button having a metal head 6 and a. shank comprising a neck section I2 and a loop section l. This shank is formed from a piece of wire bent to substantially the shape shown. One end 9 of this wire is secured in a recess I0 formed in the underside of the head B and is rigidly retained in the head preferably by swedging a, portion of the metal of the head around the -end 9 of the wire to form the hub portion II.

The wire extends a short distance from the head to provide a short neck section I2 and then said wire is bent to form the loop section 1. In. so doing the wire is bent laterally to provide the shoulder portion I3 which extends substantially parallel to the head. The Wire is then bent to form the loop section I presenting the two side portions I4 and I5, the end I6 of the wire being bent inwardly against the neck I2 to form a second shoulder portion which is also substantially parallel to the head. The loop 'I is preferably made so that the end or bight portion Il is considerably narrower than the portion of the loop adjacent the neck I2. The two side portions I4, -I5 have a diverging relative arrangement from the bight portion Il to the shoulder portions, thus giving the loop I a sort of heart shape.

When a tufting button with this construction is in use in a tufted mattress, the head `Ii of the button rests on ,the outside of the ticking as usual and the short neck section I2 extends through the ticking as shown in Fig. 3. The square shoulder portions I3, I6 which extend substantially parallel to the head are located ina tufting needle and the end of the cord is tied to the loop of a tufting button. When the needle is withdrawn, the shank of the tufting button with the end of the tufting cord knotted thereto is drawn through the needle hole in the ticking, thereby to bring the head of the tufting button against the outside of the ticking. During this operation, the interwoven threads 3 of the ticking are spread at the point where the shank of the button is drawn therethrough and after the button is in place, the threads will resume their normal position, so that the portion I 8 of the ticking immediately circumjacent the hole which the needle made in the ticking will close in around the neck I 2 of the tufting button.

The presence of the square shoulders I3, I6 on the 4shank loop 'I are extremely effective in preventing the shank of the tufting button from working back entirely through the ticking whenever the tufting cord becomes unduly slack.

If it should happen that the opening through the ticking of the mattress corresponding to any tufting button becomes somewhat enlarged and, if, when the mattress is in use, any movement of the person occupying the mattress should apply to the head of the tufting button a force tending to tip the button and such force was sutucient to work one shoulder of the button through the enlarged opening in the ticking, yet the button would be prevented from working entirely out of 4the ticking because the other shoulder of the button would be anchored underneath the portion of the ticking immediately surrounding the hole and the shape of the loop 'I with its relatively narrow bight portion I1 and diverging sides I4, I5 serves to hold the knot 8 in the bight portion even when the button occupies an inclined position as indicated above so that the engagement of the knot with the underside of the ticking effectively prevents the loop from being forced entirely through the ticking. As soon as the disturbing pressure on the head of the button is relieved, and the weight removed from the mattress so that the tufting cord again becomes taut, the displaced tufting button will immediately be brought intoits normal position shown in Fig. 3.

In Fig. l, I have shown a different embodiment of the invention in which both ends of the wire from which the loop shank of the button is formed are anchored or embedded in the head of the button. In this embodiment ofthe invention the head of the button is indicated at 6a, and 'Ia is the loop shank. In this embodiment the shank is bent to present the loop section which has the inclined sides I 4a, I5a with the relatively narrow fabric penetrating bight portion and the two square shoulder portions I3a and I6a which extend substantially parallel to the head Ba. The two end portions of the wire are then bent upwardly to form the short neckI I2a and both terminal portions 20 of the wire are anchored in the head 6a. If the head `Ia is molded from some suitable materials these terminal portions of thewire which are shown at 20 may be bent laterally and embedded in the molded head 5a. This button also presents a relatively short neck section I2a and a loop section 'Ia having the square shoulders I3a, Ilia which by their engagement with the inner face of the ticking 2 are eiective to prevent the shank of the button from working back entirely out of the ticking when the tufting cord 5 becomes slack. i

'I'he abutment shoulders constitute the most important feature of the invention and have been referred to as square and as extending substantially parallel to the generally hat head and are shown as sloping slightly upward toward the rim of the head. The essential feature is that they Number of the shank at not more than ninety degrees with the neck section.

As pointed out, the head of the button may be made of any suitable material and secured in any suitable manner to the shank. The head is usually circular and is substantially flat so as to seat against the outer surface of the mattress. It will be understood that the gures 'of drawings are not to an exact scale, but Figs. 1 and 2 are approximately four times the size of ordinary types of tufting buttons.

I claim:

1. A tufting button comprising a head having a substantially iiat top and a shank comprising a pair of legs whose ends are nxed in the substance of the head, the legs extending below the head to form a stem, and integrally merging with an eye portion, the eye portion being symmetrical with respect to the vertical axis of the head and comprising abutment shoulders whose uppermost elements are spaced from the under surface of the head a distance of the order of the fabric thickness, the eye tapering in width from said shoulders and having a fabric-penetrating point of small radius.

2. A tufting button for use in tufting mattresses and the like having a substantially fiat head which seats against the outer surface of the mattress and an inward centrally projecting shank secured in the head, said shank having a short neck section to extend through the mattress covering, and a loop section presenting shoulder portions extending from and transversely of the neck section toward the rim of the head and adjacent the covering-engaging surface of the head at a distance therefrom sufllcient to receive the covering and acting to prevent the shank from working out of the covering, the sides of the loop section converging from the outer ends of the shoulder portions and terminating at the end of the shank in a relatively narrow bight portion to receive the tufting cord and to present a smoothly curved covering-penetrating point.

3. A tufting button for use in tufting mattresses and the like having a substantially at head which seats against the outer surface of the mattress and an inward centrally projecting shank secured in the head, said shank having a short neck section to extend through the mattress covering and a loop section presenting shoulder portions extending from and transversely of the neck section at not more than ninetydegrees therewith and adjacent the covering-engaging surface of the head at a distance therefrom sumcient to receive the covering and acting to prevent the shank from working out of the covering, the sides of the loop section converging from the outer ends of the shoulder portions and terminating at the end of the shank in a relatively narrow bight portion to receive the tufting cord and to present a smoothly curved coveringpenetrating point.

WILFRED B. MATHEWSON.

, REFERENCES CITED `The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNI'IED STATES PATENTS Name Date 2,262,161 Blumstock Nov. l1, 1941 

